Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-12-04
WHERE ADVENTURES THRIVE
New York IA Fine City TO Live i'm
Oh N0tiling IA Year.

New York IA Fine City TO Live I'm
Oh Nothing IA Year.
The arrest and trial OF Langerman
for swindling and confidence opera
tons has started an endless amount OF
gossip and recollection among the men
about town and FOUNDERS of New York
concerning the swindlers and adven-
turors who have, from time to time,
held the palm for efirontery, nerve
anu daring. This man Langerman is
remarkable mainly on account Of his
extraordinary indifference to the world
at large, and insolent manner toward
the men he meets. Most adventur-
ers are placid, clever and amusing
They know that good manners make
good friends, and in everything they
are polished and jolly. Not SO with
Langerman. He assumes the naughty
and aristocratic air. All about town
it was known that he never paid his
bills, and he was generally frozen out
of one cafe and another until he had
to leave the more pretentious places,
and take up with the saloons and
groggeries. Recently his companion
had been II man who was described
by the police rs a dead beat"
One of the most accomplished of
these adventures was known about
town for a time as Baron Griggsby.
7. IL. Belleville Gri!g5by, Esq +, was
the name that appeared on his solid
and respectable-looking card when he
first anneared in New York. He ran
his course in about two years. He
= lplp l,pN Ill ii
and ended as a tloor-walker and
master of ceremonies in Sixth
avenue dive. He came up to
the writer one day on Sixth
avenue u short time since, with
the design OF effecting loan OF a
quarter. He was as polished as ever,
man of the world in every particu-
lar, and he accomplished his design
in the matter Of the twenty-five cent
piece with singular delicacy and grace
fulness. He tossed the coin in the
air and caught it deftly, smiled and
said casually:
"Three years ago to-day | gave u
breakfast ut the Richie in Paris, where
the strawberries alone cost dollar
apiece, and there We're pecks OF
them"
Chimes have changed with you"
"Rather."
"stll, you have kept atloat for long
while in New York"
''It was easy enough. The fact is,
if you will pa don my saying so to
native, New York City is decidedly
provincial. Any man can go the pace
here. if he is we'll dressed and has
good exterior. l have visited ali the
capitals of the void, including Lima
and Honolulu, but never struck any
thing quite as soft rs New York. A
man who can't get credit for $4,000 or
$4,000 in the course OF year before
he is found out, has no real ability.
The reason of it all is sim pie enough.
In New York there are no swells, if l
must use word that has become ex-
ceedipgly common and much misun
derstood. No man is sure of his po-
sition in society, and the bowling
FOUNDERS of to-day are likely to meet
their fathers friends, and have their
ari-tocratic pretentions knocked into
a cooked hat by the recollection that
their ancestors sold boots or hats for
a living. Hence they are lacking in
the insolence, the single glass, the
carelessncss, indifference, and asser-
tiveness of the genuine swell of Lon
don or Paris, who knows that he is
all right because his family is ire
proachable. Let any man wear fash
ionable clothes, stick glass into his
eve, and saunter into Delmonico's
with an air of composure and serenity
and he will instantly establish credit
for correctness and position"
The points in this particular swim
dler's career are notorious. He always
told big stories, and forced things
from the very first. He is an English
man OF a ford and healthy type, and
he always looked well-to-do and
happy. Coming over on the steamer
he got in with two pretentious young
sters who were doing Europe, but
were returning to America. They
rather set up for blase men OF the
world, but they were really tiresome
little cads. One was the son OF a
picture dealer down town, and
the other the profligate offspring
of statesman who has
recently allied himself to the Probibi-
ton movement. Mr.. acknowledging
by saw them ON the steamer, became
acquainted, and chung to them like a
brother. Every night they dined in
Delmonico's in state together They
were invariably in evening dress, and
they wore their three little glasses in
tn, ir three little eyes. Later they sat
in an imposing row in box at the
theater, never SIN ling at Joke or
showing that they were in any way
conscious of what was going on on the
stage. Baron Griggsby invariably
sat in the middle. In the afternoon
he was favorite guest on one or the
other of the dog carts of the two
Youngsters, and the trio became more
or less famous. The Baron patron
lied the hatters, tailors, and boot
makers of his friends, ran up bills
with answering pertinacity wherever
the opportunity offered, and assidu'
ously cult ated men to whom he was
introduced, so that when the over
dressed boys finally got rid of him he
fell into soft place and has passed
gently along until he landed in 8
Sixth-avenue dive. He was and is
invariably the soul of amiability, anc
he is happy in tenth-rate boarding
house.
Lord Abercombie" was q similar
type of man. People out of town he
member rim very well, and otter
wonder what has become of him. liz
was as suave and polished as min
lister of state, remarkably handsome
and had the air of q man OF fortune
His recklessness was startling wher